Kamala Harris sits down for her first major interview since becoming the Democratic nominee for president. Israel and Hamas agree to pauses in the fighting in Gaza to allow for a polio vaccination drive. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has traveled to Berlin and Paris as part of an effort to reset ties between the UK and the EU. A royal wedding in Norway causes controversy. And a Ukrainian amputee competes in the Paris Paralympics.
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Today, Kamala Harris pledges a tougher approach on migration. British Prime Minister Kirstarmer's European charm offensive, Norway's controversial royal wedding and the Ukrainian war veteran fighting it out on the volleyball court at the Paralympic Games. It's Friday, August 30th. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, every weekday. I'm Carmel Krimans in Dublin. Ryan Reynolds here for, I guess, my hundredth mint commercial. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Honestly, when I started this, I thought I'd only have to do like four of these. I mean, it's unlimited premium wireless for $15 a month. Or there's still people paying two or three times that much, so I shouldn't be victim blaming here. Give it a try at midmobile.com/save, whenever you're ready. $45 up from payment equivalent to $15 per month, new customers on first three month plan only, taxes and fees extra, speeds lower above 40 gigabytes of CD-Tails. And the phone rang and it was Joe Biden, and he told me what he had decided to do. And I asked him, are you sure? And he said yes. Kamala Harris, in her first interview with a major news organization since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, speaking to CNN, Harris vowed a tougher approach to migration along the U.S. Southern border and said she would not withhold weapons to Israel. I'm unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel's defense. Harris was pressed about changing positions on some issues from the time she ran for president in 2020, including fracking. Let's be clear, my values have not changed. Fracking is a key issue in Pennsylvania, one of the swing states that could decide the election. I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020, that I would not ban fracking as vice president. I did not ban fracking as president. I will not ban fracking. She also said she would like to add a Republican to her cabinet if she wins the election. Sitting in a tent, Palestinian mother Naveen Abu Al-Juran wipes away tears as she wonders if her son will ever be able to walk. Born on September 1st last year, Abdul was the first confirmed case of polio in the Gaza Strip for 25 years. The highly infectious virus can cause paralysis. Cases globally have become rare thanks to vaccination campaigns. But baby Abdul, like other children in Gaza, has missed out on routine vaccinations. He stopped crawling. Nearly a year into the conflict in Gaza, Israel's military and Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to pause the fighting to allow for the first round of polio vaccinations. The WHO says it will be rolled out in three separate stages, targeting 640,000 children. During each stage, fighting will pause for three consecutive days between 6am and 3pm. Elsewhere around the world, Ukraine's confirmed an F-16 crash this week during a major Russian attack, the first loss reported since the arrival of the planes this month. In Japan, Typhoon Shan-Shan continues to hit large parts of the country, causing travel delays and halting production at major factories. While a cyclone of Pakistan has forced authorities in its largest city Karachi to close schools as storms hit the region. And at the US Open, former champion Carlos Alcaraz has suffered a shock defeat in the second round, losing to unceded Dutchmen Botic Fandens Anschlup. Elon Musk's social media platform X is preparing to be shut down in Brazil. X has said it expects the country's Supreme Court to order a shutdown soon. The warnings come amid a fierce legal battle between the social media giant and Brazil over compliance with local laws. At issue is whether the Supreme Court can order X to block certain accounts accused of spreading lies and distortion. Musk has denounced the request a censorship. "When it comes to the wider reset with Europe, I'm absolutely clear that we do want a reset." British Prime Minister Kurt Starmer and Berlin, as part of a charm offence of across Europe this week, eight weeks after his election win, Starmer has been trying to heal some of the wounds created by Brexit. Andrew McCaskill has been covering it. "After the sort of years of bitterness caused by Britain's decision to leave the European Union, Starmer has set out as his main foreign policy goal, the desire to sort of reset relations with Britain's nearest neighbours. He wants to put improved economic and defence relations at the heart of his efforts to create wealth and economic growth, but crucially he's not reversing Brexit or going as far as rejoining the block's single market or customs union. But now the sort of decision to reset relations has been sort of warmly welcomed by European leaders. One European diplomat I spoke to recently said it was like night and day dealing with this government compared to the previous Conservative governments. And Starmer's focused a lot of talk this week on the issue of the far right across Europe. Yeah, this is something at the end of the trip that he spoke very passionately about. He said it was something that occupies a lot of his time and he was worried about the rise of the far right, both with wind Britain and Europe. And ultimately said this was a problem that can only be dealt with by honesty, clear communication and then ultimately leaving people better off. He said that this was a shared problem across Europe and leaders are going to have to work together to address it if they want to solve it. And for more on the far right in Europe, Germany in particular, check out our weekend episode. It's looking at the politics in two East German states where the far right alternative for Germany is hoping to clinch its first wins in elections. The Norway now and a royal wedding that's causing controversy and questions about the commercialization of such events Norway's Princess Martha Louise marries her long-term partner American spiritual guru, Derek Verrett, this weekend at a UNESCO World Heritage site. But most people won't get to see it. Gladys Fusche is in Oslo to explain. "Mata Louise is the oldest child of King Harold and Queen Sonia. If she had been born today, she would have been the heir to the throne, but at the time that she was born, girls did not have the priority in the line of succession. Both of them have always been very interested in alternative medicine and therapies. Martha Louise had a few years back, she had a school where she helped people get in touch with their angels. And Derek Verrett calls himself shaman Verrett and he says he's a sixth generation shaman. He says he's a cross between the reptilian and the dramatur. He sells an amulet for $222 that helps optimize your spirit." Okay, so the bride and the groom are a little unconventional. But why is this wedding so controversial? The controversy has been that the rights of the wedding are going to be sold to Hello magazine. And that puts the Norwegian royal family in a bit of a bind because they can't be associated with that kind of commercialism. There's always been an agreement between the Norwegian royal family and the media here that for big events in the royal family, the public broadcaster and the main news agency would have access to cover it. How have they tried to resolve this? King Harold and Queen Sonia will attend, so will Crown Prince Hockon and Crown Princess Metemarit. What they've said is that while they will participate, they reserve the right not to participate in the pictures that Hello magazine will take. But at some point they're going to have to discuss the agreement that the royal family had with Martha Louise about her not using her princess title associated with commercial purposes. The agreement was concluded two years ago precisely about this question to make sure they are clear guidelines about when she could use the princess title and when she could not. When Yavani Korenz was wounded near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bachmut in March of 2023, he was sure he was going to die. The thought running through his mind was that he hadn't travelled the world. The former military paramedic is now getting a chance to do that travel against enormous odds. After his left leg was amputated at the hip, he's now representing Ukraine and the Paris Paralympic Games as a member of the sitting volleyball squad. He's one of 140 Ukrainians representing the war-tornation. The Games have taken on an added significance as Russia's invasion has left thousands of soldiers and civilians with life-altering injuries. Korenz says the Games have helped him recover both physically and mentally. This story was filmed by Reuters journalist Ivan Lubitschkevi. It was one of the last stories he filmed before a missile strike hit a hotel in which he and a roiser's team were staying in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. Ivan remains in a critical condition in hospital. Reuters safety adviser Ryan Evans was killed in the attack. This episode is brought to you by Honda. When you test drive the new prologue EV, there's a lot that can impress you about it. There's the class leading passenger space, the clean, thoughtful design and the intuitive technology. But out of everything, what you'll really love most is that it's a Honda. Honda.com/EV to see offers. And one more inspiring Paralympian story for you as you head into your weekend. Today's recommended read is about Afghan refugee Sakaya Kudadadi, who has landed a Taekwondo bronze. She's the first athlete from the refugee team to win a medal at the Games in Paris. You can find a link to the story in today's part description. We'll be back on Tuesday, after a break for Labor Day. In the meantime, for more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. And to never miss an episode, subscribe on your favourite podcast player. [MUSIC PLAYING]
